Washington, DC – (October 5, 2010) TechNet, the bipartisan policy and political network of CEOs that promotes the growth of the innovation economy, today applauded the groundbreaking of the public private initiative to build the Massachusetts Green High-Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) which positions the state as a global leader in the next generation of computing technologies. The initiative includes contributions by TechNet member companies EMC and Cisco.

The groundbreaking ceremony included Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Representative John Olver (D-Mass), Jack Wilson, President of the University of Massachusetts, Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, Joseph Aoun, President of Northeastern University, Joe Tucci, CEO of EMC, Bruce Klein, Executive Vice President of Cisco, and representatives from Harvard University and Boston University. Originally announced in June 2009, the computing center provides an infrastructure for research computing in life sciences, clean energy, and green computing; a collaborative research agenda; and will catalyze the development of an innovation district powered by green and cost-competitive energy.

“Congratulations to TechNet member companies Cisco and EMC for breaking ground at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts,” said TechNet President and CEO Rey Ramsey. “The MGHPCC is the result of a historic partnership and collaboration between Cisco, EMC, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Holyoke and five major universities, Harvard, MIT, University of Massachusetts, Boston University and Northeastern University. Powered by hydroelectric and other low-cost energy sources and showcasing green-facilities design, the shared center will provide researchers with the greater computing power and capacity that is required for advanced research in areas like life sciences, biomedicine, clean energy and information technology. The MGHPCC will also serve as a catalyst for economic development in Holyoke as other research-intensive industries seek to locate near the center.”

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TechNet is the national, bipartisan network of CEOs that promotes the growth of technology industries and the economy by building long-term relationships between technology leaders and policymakers and by advocating a targeted policy agenda. TechNet’s members represent more than one million employees in the fields of information technology, biotechnology, e-commerce and finance. TechNet has offices in Washington, DC, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Seattle, Boston and Austin. Web address: www.technet.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @technetupdate.